Which is a better way of spending a trillion dollars?

Question

1. Sending humans to Mars?

or

2. Building a giant space mirror between the earth and sun that will reflect 1% of the sun's radiation and mitigate global warming?

Note: Both of these mega-projects have recently been proposed by policy makers. Both are estimated to cost in the region of 1000 billion dollars.

Answer 1

2. we can explore mars remotely, and use the power generated by the mirror

Answer 2

Neither. Global warming is not real. I'm an environmentalist, I'm not saying this because I'm a big oil tycoon or anything. It's just that ten years we were entering the second ice age, now there is all this talk about global warming. Some of the planet's many thousands of meteorological cycles, some last ten days, others last many hundreds or even millions of years, are lining up in a warm spot. It'll be over soon.
We should spend our trillions dollars on creating more efficient solar cells that can convert more of the sun's energy into electricity to end our very real energy crisis. Oil is damaging the environment and will run out soon. Our supplies in Alaska may last us a week at the most.
Also, what use would it be to send men to Mars? What will we learn there that will benefit humanity?

Answer 3

3. cut the cost in half and use half a trillion on solar electrolysis on the ocean to make more gases to dilute the carbon dioxide from absorbing so much heat energy and use the other half to send robots, not humans, to mars to get it ready and build all the structures so later when humans go to mars they dont have to wake up and build things they can just have fun and collect dirt samples. =)

or um i pick 2, save the homeworld before exploring. work before play. yup.

Answer 4

Neither project is likely to cost that much, with the mission to Mars probably being cheaper than the mirror; although we would not know for sure until after doing both.

Answer 5

It's quite funny how these people can pull 1000 billion dollars out of their a** and yet people on the other side of the world are starving and don't even get their basic needs met.

Answer 6

Build Hydrogen engines,advanced full spectrum solar cells,wind generators.Clean up the planet,people are slobs.Food and Health care for the needy.Hubble can see mars very well,study it with that.

Answer 7

Save the needy and the hungry.